It was only today when I was uploading to Facebook the almost 180 photos taken yesterday that I realised the extent of the walking that was done. An incredible number of dogs were exercised, and in fact I did not even manage to take photos of all them, as at times the refuge was a bit like Piccadilly Circus at rush hour!
The reason taking photos of the dogs is important is three-fold. Firstly for new arrivals it can alert their owners to the fact that their dog is at the SPA. This applies to unidentified animals only, of course, as otherwise we contact the owners immediately, providing of course that their details are up to date in Paris.
Secondly once the photos are added to Facebook it moves the dog’s album to the top again and new fans of our Facebook page may see a dog that they have not noticed before.
Thirdly (and to be honest, my favourite reason), is that we can follow the progress of a dog. We try to take photos of dogs on the day they arrive (see reason one). Often the dogs are in an appalling condition, and the photos that are subsequently taken show the dog’s gradual recovery.
There are numerous examples of this, with perhaps the best and most recent being that of Tootsie. She arrived in a terrible state, skeletally thin and clearly having lost the will to live. Now she is if anything a little bit chunky and is a beautiful glossy girl.
Sadly last week she had what appeared to be an epileptic fit, and so for the moment she is under surveillance. It generally takes a couple of weeks for the dosage of medication to be correctly assessed, but once this is done, Tootsie will have a tablet or two to take each day. Otherwise she will lead a perfectly normal life. Epilepsy in dogs is hardly a handicap, and with treatment being so inexpensive, we hope that this girl’s chance of finding a home will not be diminished by her illness.
So today I thank Team Sport once again (which incidentally consisted of both men and women!), and all the other volunteers who walked (or ran) the dogs yesterday. I also put out an appeal for a home for lovely Tootsie (who is fine with other dogs and cats), and I also wonder if anyone fancies coming along with a camera and taking snaps of the dogs. As I said, many more dogs were walked than I was able to take photos of, and it is a shame that their albums have no new pictures in them!
If this is something that you might like to do, even if it is only occasionally, please get in touch. We can provide a chair, and even a camera if required!
Tootsie when she arrived on June 27th
Tootsie now. What a transformation!